Page 44 of Rory: His to Discipline

“Maggie is a little wild herself at times, not to the extent Bridget is, but she has been known to do some pretty outrageous things. I help her to understand the error of her ways so to speak. I would never abuse her or cause her injury, but a red-hot bottom is a great deterrent at times.”

Del was stunned. He had a tremendous amount of respect for Nick and his mind was weighing his words.

“And she just lets you spank her?” he asked incredulously.

“Sometimes,” Nick laughed. “Sometimes she comes to me, others I have to chase her down throw her over my shoulder and cart her off for a few moments of privacy. Maggie knows the rules and what will happen if she breaks them. She’s not stupid, far from it, so if she chooses to ignore them, there’s an excellent chance she will get her bottom spanked. It’s her choice.”

“Have you always spanked her?” Del asked, guardedly curious.

“I spanked her a couple of times when we were going together during our high school years, but apparently not hard enough or long enough because she screwed up our lives for the next fifteen years, and I let her. That will never happen again,” Nick stated firmly, a sad, faraway look in his eyes.

“I’ll think about what you’ve told me here today, Nick, but I don’t have the faintest idea whether I could really follow through with something like that.”

“You think about it, Del. If you decide she’s worth the risk, that Bridget is someone you truly want in your life, you let me know. I have a couple of other people who can help you.”

Nick went to the men’s room while Del went to the bar to settle the bill. “I need a diet cola to go please,” he told Patrick.

“Is that it?”

“No, let me have a salad with light dressing on the side also.”

* * *

Walking into the office, Del sat his bag down to remove his coat. Nick watched with pride when Del handed her the soda and plopped the salad on her desk.

“Eat it,” he commanded.

Bridget’s first impulse was to toss it in the trash, but something in Winston’s expression warned her not to. As she opened the lid and pushed the fork out of the plastic covering, Del turned and walked into his office a huge self-satisfied smile on his face.

Chapter Sixteen

Tess bought several gallons of white paint with her own small stash of money. She would be able to start painting the ceilings and she bought one gallon of kitchen paint for the kitchen cupboards. There were checks in her purse the bank had printed for her to use temporarily until the new ones came with both their names on them, but Tess balked at using Rory’s money. After all, if it was to be her home too, she should contribute something. Having no idea how expensive paint had become, she was shocked at the total. At this rate, her funds would not last long. Thank God, she had been saving for a car and the O’Malleys had refused to let her pay rent.

Loading her purchases in the new vehicle, Tess sat gingerly in the driver’s seat and called Rebecca from her cell phone.

“Tess, I’m so glad you called. Are you busy? Do you think you could run over here and give me a hand?” Rebecca asked hopefully. “Mason is at the office taking care of some things. I don’t know how long I have before he gets back, so can you hurry?”

“I will come right now, Rebecca. Is everything all right with Juliana?” Tess asked alarmed.

“Yes, the baby’s fine. I just need a hand looking for something. Remember we talked about the book I need to find?”

“Now, I do,” Tess replied. “I am on my way, be there in about ten minutes.”

“Great,” Rebecca sighed in relief. “See you in a few.”

* * *

Rebecca had searched everywhere for Mason’s book. Since the baby’s birth, he had been glued to her side, not leaving her much time to look in the less obvious places. With any luck he would at least be occupied for a couple of hours at the office. Although Rebecca felt great, she was still sore from the birth and not exactly in shape to crawl under beds and scour closets. Besides that, she was loath to leave her daughter alone while she climbed on step stools. What if she fell or got hurt? Juliana would be helpless. Mason would surely lose his mind if she did anything so stupid. No, this was the best idea. If she and Tess couldn’t locate the damn book, Rebecca would call Molly and beg if she had to.

Tess arrived quickly, a little concerned about the determination she heard in Rebecca’s voice. They had become friends, good friends immediately upon meeting. If Rebecca needed help, Tess would drop everything to assist her.

“Thanks for coming so fast,” Rebecca said as she pulled Tess into the foyer, hugging her.

“What is the matter? What can I do to help?” Tess asked, letting Rebecca tug her into the living room. The baby was asleep in her bassinet and Tess could not help stopping to peek in. She was such a beautiful little angel.

“Oh, she is so precious,” Tess said softly, enthralled with the child.

“She is, isn’t she,” Rebecca agreed, forgetting her mission for a moment as she smiled in wonder. “Who would have thought my overgrown husband would produce such a perfect little girl? And she’s such a good baby, not at all demanding like her father. I swear she has more patience than him already. I hope she keeps her good nature, I need someone in the house that isn’t a control-freak.”